Surface, Surface 2, Surface RT, Surface Pro 2? Anyone?

How about "none of the above" --

Surface 2 branding, specs, and pricing: Wrong, wrong, and wrong | Microsoft windows - InfoWorld: "The prices on the new 2's are way, way, way too high. Surface 2 with 2GB of RAM and 32GB SSD costs $449. That's $50 less than the launch price of the Surface RT, but we all know how well it sold....The Surface Pro 2 pricing defies imagination as well; $899 for a 4GB/64GB Pro 2? You gotta be kidding me. All the way up to $1,799 for an 8GB/512GB model -- yes, still with an i5 processor, integrated graphics, and so-so screen. Add to that $120 for the cheapest keyboard/cover, up to $200 for the battery-supplemented cover, and you're looking at a cool $2,000 for an 8GB/512GB Surface Pro 2 -- with Office not included." (read more at link above)

Amazon unveils Kindle Fire HDX

The Hindu
Amazon is refreshing its line-up of tablet computers with new devices called... compared to 48 percent for Apple's iPad and 8 percent for Samsung's Galaxy line, ...

The Hindu

Google fixes lengthy, widespread Gmail glitch

PCWorld
Affected users endured email delivery delays and difficulties downloading attachments due to a still unexplained bug first acknowledged by Google at around ...

CIO Today

Google Chrome to block and banish plugins built using popular ...

PCWorld
Google Chrome to block and banish plugins built using popular NPAPI architecture ... supported by browsers like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome,Apple Safari, ...

eWeek

Google yanks sketchy iMessage clone for Android from app store

Computerworld (blog)
Google confirmed that it yanked the app for violating its store policies. ...The Android app was designed to let users piggyback on Apple's iMessage service to ...

Waterbury Republican American

YouTube gets the yuck out in comments cleanup

CNET
YouTube video comments can be a wretched hive of scum and villainy, butGoogle is arming uploaders with Google+ comment moderation powers....

Brisbane Times

Microsoft's SkyDrive stumbles, becomes latest glitchy cloud app

Computerworld
Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud storage service began malfunctioning on Tuesday afternoon, a day after Google's Gmail got tripped by a network breakdown....

eWeek

Google lets you lock your lost Android remotely

HispanicBusiness.com
Google's new feature can be found in the Android's Device Manager, which will ... Google's move provides users a service available from a number of mobile ...

NDTV

Amazon to take on 15000 new seasonal UK staff for Christmas crunch

The Guardian
Amazon to take on 15,000 new seasonal UK staff for Christmas crunch. Online retailer to ... The Amazon distribution warehouse just outside Milton Keynes....

The Guardian

Microsoft's big draw for Oracle on Azure: Simplified licensing

InfoWorld
Consequently, one way to simplify the costs of server products --Microsoft's included -- is to obtain them as a pre-licensed part of a machine image. Amazon ...

Economic Times

Google Science Fair wins include BC teen's body-heat-powered ...

CBC.ca
Australian Viney Kumar, Canadian Ann Makosinski of Victoria, B.C., Elif Bilgin of Turkey and American Eric Chen, left to right, took home trophies at the Google ...

Vancouver Sun (blog)

Amazon Updates Kindle Fire Line - NYTimes.com

By DAVID STREITFELD
A day after Microsoft announced plans for its new Surface tablets, Amazon refreshed the Kindle ...Apple sold about $33 billion worth of iPads in the last year.

NYT Bits 

Apple Reportedly Mulling Oregon Data Center Expansion - AllThingsD

John Paczkowski
A 96-acre parcel of land adjacent to the site of Apple's Prineville data center has ... and Other Features Make New Kindle Fire Tablets Uniquely Amazon (Video).

AllThingsD

How BlackBerry buyout could bear fruit | Technology | The Guardian: ""This is a break up story," says Benedict Evans, mobile expert at Enders Analysis. "There is nothing a new owner is going to do to make people start buying BB10 devices in enough volume to be viable. They should have built on top of Android two years ago.""

Exclusive: Google same-day delivery makes public debut Wednesday - SiliconValley.com: "The public launch makes Google's once-exclusive service available to everyone who wants same-day delivery from San Francisco to San Jose, and signals that the Internet company may have found the formula to solve one of the most challenging problems in retail. "

more technology news below

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Microsoft Surface RT review roundup

Microsoft Surface RT: A review roundup
ZDNet
I don't know exactly how Microsoft chose the initial reviewer pack, but it looks to me like the selection committee decided to include a mix of Apple fans, a number of newer and younger bloggers, and some reporters who've got experience reviewing ...

Apple's iPad Mini Pricier than Rival Tablets
Fox News
"Apple had an opportunity to step on the throat of Amazon and Google, yet decided to rely on its brand and focus on (profit) margin," said Bill Kreher, an analyst with brokerage Edward Jones. Appleshares fell $20.67, or 3.3 percent, to close at $613 ...

Google Street View goes off road, begins mapping Grand Canyon trails
New York Daily News
The move to capture the Grand Canyon comes after Apple chose to drop GoogleMaps from its mobile operating systems and opted to use its own mapping program that was derided for, among other things, poor directions and missing towns. Steve Silverman ...

New York Daily News

Amazon Releases First Japanese-Language Kindle
PC Magazine
Over the last few years, the Kindle e-book reader has become Amazon's quiet success story, snapping up thousands of new fans every year despite its bare bones look and feel. And while the tablet wars have heated up in the West, with the Kindle ...

Apple's Rubber Band Snaps. What Took So Long?
Forbes
If Apple can use patents to “slow down the clock” in order to gain advantage over Samsung or Google, what must the effect be on smaller tech companies? They haven't got a chance. Although all of the big tech companies got where they are through ...

Forbes

How a Google Headhunter's E-Mail Unraveled a Massive Net Security Hole
Wired (blog)
Google was using a weak cryptographic key to certify to recipients that its correspondence came from a legitimate Google corporate domain. Anyone who cracked the key could use it to impersonate an e-mail sender from Google, includingGoogle founders ...

Wired (blog)

Google brings Now functionality to Windows 8 with search app
ZDNet
The app, flagged up by Microsoft engineer Mohamed Mansour in a Google+ post on Tuesday, makes it possible for users to search through Google's engine without needing to fire up a browser. It also provides a quick link to Google services including Gmail ...

ZDNet

Google releases renamed productivity apps for Chrome users
ZDNet
The Document, Spreadsheet and Presentation tools — rivals to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint respectively — had originally gone under the Google Docs banner, before that got folded into Google Drive in April. Now, according to a Google Drive ...

Apple Has Only One Place to Go: Your Wall - NYTimes.com
By By NICK BILTON
Apple sells screens that range from 2.5-inch iPods to 27-inch iMacs. Could an Apple-branded television be the next screen from the company? Read more... ... Amazon Cloud Service Goes Down and Takes Popular Sites With It; 3.Apple Has ...
NYT Bits

Amazon Looks East: Launches First Japanese Language Kindle ...
By Ingrid Lunden
Take that, Rakuten! Amazon continues to extend its reach into new markets and increase its focus in Asia: today it announced pre-orders for its first Japanese..
TechCrunch

Apple Unveils iPad Mini | Music News | Rolling Stone
Apple remains dominant in the tech market for larger tablets, but the iPad mini marks a new effort to compete with pocket-sized devices such as the Amazon Kindle and Google's Nexus Seven. The iPad mini also marks a milestone for Apple: it is the first new device to ... fourth-generation iPad, including better graphics and processing speeds. Its iPad mini announcement was the focus of the day, however, and comes just two days before Microsoft is set to unveil their new Surface tablet.
RollingStone.com: Music News

Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review -- Engadget
By Tim Stevens
Microsoft Surface for Windows RT, 9:36. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, 12:01. Apple iPad 2, 10:26. Acer Iconia Tab A510, 10:23. ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, 10:17 / 16:34 (keyboard dock). AmazonKindle Fire HD, 9:57. Samsung Galaxy ...
Engadget

Google delivers search app for Windows 8 with a touch of tablet ...
By Jon Fingas
Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review. 8 hours ago. Apple's Oct. 23rd event roundup: iPad mini, 4th gen iPad, new iMac, 13-inch MBP with Retina Display and more. 10 hours ago. iPad Mini vs. the new (and newer) iPad: what's different?
Engadget

Apple - Press Info - Apple Introduces iPad mini
SAN JOSE, California―October 23, 2012―Apple® today introduced iPad® mini, a completely new iPad design that is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter ...
www.apple.com/pr/.../10/23Apple-Introduces-iPad-mini.html

Google Finance: Stock market quotes, news, currency conversions ...
The quarterly report of Google Inc. (GOOG -8.01%) was displayed on Wall Street ... Google results miss; shares dive after premature report CNBC.com ... AAPL · Apple Inc. -3.60%, 571.67B ... MSFT · Microsoft Corporation, -2.90%, 241.05B ...
www.google.com/finance?ei=PWqDULCKIaahiQKJSw

Amazon.com: Samsung Chromebook (3G, 11.6-Inch): Computers ...
If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the .... The Chromebook comes with leadingGoogle products, like Search, Gmail, .... Microsoft Windows 8 Pro ...
www.amazon.com/Samsung-XE303C12.../B009M2YNWI
'Jesus,' 'welcome' join list of worst passwords
CNET
Despite the vulnerability presented by weak passwords, many Internet users continue to put their security at risk by using common words or number sequences that are easily guessable. Unchanged from last year, the three most popular passwords for 2012 ...

Microsoft Releases Hadoop On Windows
InformationWeek
The big data world knew it was coming, but now we know the official name of Microsoft's Hadoop software distribution: Microsoft HDInsight Server for Windows. The vendor announced the first preview release of the on-premises software on Wednesday at the ...

Microsoft Surface: Review Roundup
Washington Post
Microsoft's Surface with RT tablet is getting mixed reviews from the first round of folks who've seen the device. Overall, reviewers seem to have lots of praise for the hardware, but it is — somewhat ironically — the software that's earning Microsoft the most ...

Meet CHARLI-2, The Robot That Can Dance to 'Gangnam Style'
TIME
Sorry, folks: 'Gangnam Style' isn't going away any time soon. A group of engineering students has now ensured that even if mankind has disappeared from the face of the earth there will still be someone who knows how to do the invisible horse dance.

T-Mobile is first carrier to sell the Galaxy Note 2
CNET
T-Mobile is first carrier to sell the Galaxy Note 2. The wireless carrier confirms today's launch date for the much-anticipated "phablet" along with pricing information that ranges from $249 to $349 depending on users' voice and data plans. Dara Kerr. by Dara ...

Microsoft Faces Large EU Fine
Wall Street Journal
By VANESSA MOCK. BRUSSELS—U.S. software giant Microsoft Inc. is facing the prospect of a fresh, hefty fine by the European Union after it failed to meet an earlier promise to offer users a choice of different Web browsers. The European Commission on ...

Facebook shares soar in response to better-than-expected Q3
CNET
Facebook shares soar in response to better-than-expected Q3. The company's shares are up considerably this morning as investors feel a bit more confident in the company, following a stronger-than-expected quarter. Don Reisinger. by Don Reisinger ...

Microsoft Rolls Out Office Web Apps Upgrade
PC Magazine
Microsoft this week unveiled an updated version of Office Web Apps for SkyDrive and Outlook.com. The Web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote all got a boost and will work with the final version of Internet Explorer 10, Windows 8, and iOS 6, ...

Dell introduces $499.99 XPS 10 Windows RT, $649 Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablets
ZDNet
Dell hasn't had the best luck with tablets in the past, but that hasn't stopped it from joining the fray for new Windows slates. It's just announced pricing for a pair of new models, one running Windows RT and one Windows 8, that are now available for order on ...

ZDNet

Market watchers expect $329 iPad mini will justify its price to consumers
Apple Insider
Market watchers expect $329 iPad mini will justify its price to consumers. By Neil Hughes. Though the starting price of the iPad mini is higher than many had expected, Wall Street analysts believe the storage capacity and build quality offered by Apple will be ...

Hands-on with the T-Mobile LG Optimus L9 (gallery)
ZDNet
Hands-on with the T-Mobile LG Optimus L9 (gallery). Summary: LG is launching a new mid-level Android smartphone on T-Mobile and even with a 4.5 inch display it feels much smaller and is extremely pocketable. Matthew Miller. By Matthew Miller for ...

ZDNet

Google Shifts Pitch for Its New Chromebooks
New York Times (blog)
Two years ago, when Google first advertised Chromebooks — laptops that store everything online, without a hard drive or desktop software — the tagline at the end of the ad was, “Ready when you are.” Two years later, Google has apparently decided that ...

Cloudera aims to bring real-time queries to Hadoop, big data
ZDNet
Cloudera aims to bring real-time queries to Hadoop, big data. Summary: Cloudera's Impala open source project is now a public beta. The company also launches a real-time query services as its second subscription offering. Larry Dignan. By Larry Dignan for ...

Chambers On The Record: How Cisco Plans To Become The No. 1 IT Company
CRN
Page 1 of 7. A year and a half after beginning one of the most important restructuring efforts in its history, Cisco is once again in trim, fighting shape. It was a strenuous step but a necessary one, argues Chairman and CEO John Chambers, because the Cisco ...

Nintendo Cuts Forecast as Smartphone Games Hurt Console Demand
Bloomberg
Nintendo Co., the world's largest maker of video-game machines, cut full-year profit and sales forecasts as free titles on smartphones and tablets dissuade consumers from buying separate gaming devices. Annual sales of Nintendo's flagship 3DS handheld ...

GM unveils redesigned V8 engine for 2014 Corvette
Reuters
Oct 24 (Reuters) - General Motors Co said the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Corvette that goes on sale next year will get a new 450-horsepower V8 engine. The engine, designated LT1, displaces 6.2 liters and is the fifth generation of GM's "small block" V8 ...

LG Electronics Terror Elevator Ad Goes Viral
ABC News (blog)
It's a prank that seems destined for YouTube greatness and one that seems appropriate for April Fool's Day. A grid of IPS monitors are installed on the floor of an elevator to create an optical illusion that the elevator is plummeting to its demise as a hidden ...

UPDATE 2-AT&T revenue, subscriber growth miss Wall Street view
Reuters
Oct 24 (Reuters) - AT&T Inc posted third-quarter revenue below estimates as it added fewer customers than expected, citing a shortage of the latest Apple Inc iPhone. The company's profit beat Wall Street expectations and it raised its target for free cash flow ...

Game ratings board creates a no-cost service for putting content labels on digital ...
VentureBeat
The video game industry's ratings board has figured out a way to put parent-advisory ratings on all games that are delivered via digital means.The new systems will allow developers and publishers to obtain a rating for a game using a streamlined process that ...

VentureBeat

Researchers use algebra to boost bandwidth, reduce network congestion
SlashGear
A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered that they can improve data speeds over cellular networks by reducing dropped packets without any new or added hardware. Using just algebraic equations, the researchers ...

SlashGear

Automotive dealers associations file suit against Tesla
SlashGear
Tesla is one of the most successful electric vehicle companies out there. It also happens to offer some of the most interesting electric vehicles on the market with its Model S and the Roadster. Tesla has been disruptive in the automotive industry because it ...

SlashGear

Apple: DOJ has Samsung's standard-essential patents in its sights
CNET
Apple has revealed that Samsung is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice. The company announced the investigation in a filing with the U.S. International Trade Commission on Monday, saying that the "the Department of Justice has opened ...

Gartner Outlines Top 10 Tech Trends to Look For in 2013
PC Magazine
Buying Guide: How to Buy a Cell Phone (Update). Last year's Gartner forecast for the top 2012 tech trends to watch—media tablets, mobile-centric applications, and social user experience topped the list—was pretty spot-on. But what does the research firm ...

At 85 mph, fastest highway in the US opens
NBCNews.com
TODAY | Aired on October 24, 2012. At 85 mph, fastest highway in the US opens. State Road 130, a 40-mile stretch of road in Texas between Austin and San Antonio, allows drivers to push their cars, vans and trucks to 85 miles an hour. NBC's Janet Shamlian ...

NBCNews.com

FTC Furrows Brows Over Facial-Recognition Tech
TechNewsWorld
FTC Furrows Brows Over Facial-Recognition Tech. FTC Furrows Brows Over Facial-Recognition Tech. By Enid Burns TechNewsWorld 10/24/12 5:00 AM PT. Twenty years ago, the idea that a billboard could recognize me, display an ad that would target me ...

Google goes off-road
Houston Chronicle
In this Monday Oct. 22, 2012, photo, Google product manager Ryan Falor walks with the Trekker during. In this Monday Oct. 22, 2012, photo, Google product manager Ryan Falor walks with the Trekker during a demonstration for the media along the Bright ...

Houston Chronicle

Longevity Traced to Grandmothers
Voice of America
In modern society, grandmothers are often called upon to babysit. But a few million years ago, when primate grandmothers first started doing that, they apparently had a major impact on human evolution. Scientists believe it's a big reason why we live much...

Voice of America

Sell Electric Cars Like Smartphones
Huffington Post
Three big barriers are slowing electric vehicles. One can be fixed by the auto industry tomorrow -- and if it is, the other two will melt away as the electric vehicle sector expands. Start with a simple but surprising fact: Right now, leasing a GM Volt for only two ...

Can the president lower gas prices?
Los Angeles Times
With two weeks until election day, many voters seem to want to know how much power the president has in setting gas prices. Put another way: What effect will my vote for President Obama or Mitt Romney have on what I pay for gas? The short answer is: ...

Pew! Pew! Take *that*, Mars!
Discover Magazine (blog)
Hey, remember that one ton nuclear rover we sent to Mars? Yeah, that. On October 20, it aimed its megaWatt laser at the sand on Mars and blasted it 30 times in rapid succession, carving out a hole about 3 mm across. NASA kindly has provided a ...

Google renames productivity apps for Chrome users
ZDNet
Google renames productivity apps for Chrome users. Summary: Now called Docs, Sheets and Slides, the apps can be installed individually from the Chrome Web Store. This will be of particular interest to those buying into Google's latest Chromebook push.

Toucher & Rich: What Was The 38 Studios Auction Like?
CBS Local
An auction of items from Curt Schilling's bankrupt video gaming company 38 Studios was held on Tuesday in Providence. Items included hundreds of computers, audio equipment, video equipment, refrigerators, microwaves, travel cases, a ping pong table,...

CBS Local

Huawei offers Australian government 'unrestricted' access to gear, software code
Nextgov
Huawei, the Chinese telcom gear provider banned from being a supplier for Australian national broadband network, has called for a government-run body tasked with checking equipment for security backdoors, The Australian Financial Review reports.

Apple Store now has Lightning to HDMI and VGA adapters at $49 a pop, souped ...
Engadget
We noticed during the iPhone 5 launch that Apple had a big caveat with its Lightning to 30-pin adapter: no video or iPod out support. Now that the new iPads are here with that same connector, the problem's been partially rectified -- for a sum. Namely, you can ...

State license plate redesign on hold
L.A. Biz
State highway officials put a proposal to redesign Florida's license plates on hold Tuesday, Florida Today reports. Gov. Rick Scott and the cabinet originally were scheduled to vote on the proposal yesterday, but the Department of Highway Safety & Motor ...

Isis launches mobile-wallet test in Salt Lake City and Austin, TX
Colloquy.com
According to an article in PaymentsSource, Isis, the mobile-wallet joint venture formed by AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA, has launched its test in Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas. The article continues stating that "the venture's mobile-pay product ...

What Exactly Is A Fusion Drive? It's More Advanced Than You Think
Cult of Mac
There were a couple of big surprises yesterday at Apple's iPad mini event. The first was the pricing of the iPad mini itself: while everyone anticipated a $249 or $299 starting price, the iPad mini actually starts at $329… a good $70 higher than devices like the ...

Boeing's CHAMP missile uses radio waves to remotely disable PCs
The Verge
On October 16th, researchers from Boeing and the US Air Force successfully test-launched a missile capable of remotely disabling PCs and other electronics with only a burst of powerful radio waves. The test was held over the Western Utah Desert as part of ...

Reuters Science News Summary
Chicago Tribune
KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - A Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American blasted off on Tuesday for the. International Space Station (ISS), where the men are to spend five months in orbit. The Russian-built Soyuz TMA-06M lifted off on time ...

It's a girl! Shedd's baby beluga whale ready for public debut
ABC7Chicago.com
October 23, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Shedd Aquarium's baby beluga is ready to meet the public. The 8-week-old beluga whale be viewable at Shedd Aquarium starting on October 26 at 11 a.m. The little girl isn't so little at 205 pounds and five-feet tall.

ABC7Chicago.com

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display
CNET
The 13-inch Retina Display Pro feels thin and very compact, nearly the same as an Air at the back, but also like a 13-inch thicker Pro with half of the bottom cut out. It's heavier than most ultrabooks, but not by much. It feels good, which isn't surprising: this is the ...

iOS 6 Adoption Tops 60 Percent
PC Magazine
Apple iOS 6. More than 60 percent of all iOS devices are now running the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 6, according to new data from online advertising firm Chitika. Exactly one month after it was released, iOS 6 was installed on 61 ...

Amazon EC2 cloud service mostly restored after yesterday's big outage
VentureBeat
CloudBeat 2012 CloudBeat 2012 assembles the biggest names in the cloud's evolving story to uncover real cases of revolutionary adoption. Unlike other cloud events, the customers themselves are front and center. Their discussions with vendors and other ...

VentureBeat

Sun unleashes intense X-class flare; active sunspot region rotating towards Earth
Washington Post (blog)
Via NASA: “A solar flare on Oct. 22, 2012, as captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)”The sun belted out the most powerful type of solar flare Monday night, known as an X-class flare (the weaker flare classes are M-class, medium-sized, and ...

Blue Origin completes Escape Pod test successfully for NASA
iTWire
The test was conducted at Blue Origin's West Texas launch site, which is located near Van Horn, Texas, in Culberson County. The test saw a simulated propulsion module fire a pusher-escape motor, which launched a full-scale suborbital crew capsule ...

Asus Vivo Tab review: First look
Know Your Mobile (blog)
Asus has had something of a head start on its tablet competitors when it comes to hybrid devices based on Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 8. That's because the company has been producing its own hybrid concept for quite some time – the ...

PS3 hacked again
Business Insider
By Brendan Sinclair. Sony is facing new PlayStation 3 security headaches today, as Eurogamer reports that hackers have released custom firmware that allows for compromised consoles to go on the PlayStation Network, and LV0 decryption keys that will ...

Nokia to bring division from Itasca to Chicago, and 150 jobs with it
Chicago Tribune
Mario Sabino, bottom, monitors traffic in the traffic division at the Nokia offices in downtown Chicago on Tuesday, when the company announced it's moving a division to Chicago from Itasca. (José M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune / October 23, 2012) ...

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Microsoft Surface Tablet - Questions Remain

Microsoft Surface Tablet: 8 Big Questions Remain
InformationWeek
Microsoft's new Surface tablet could be a personal computing game changer, but so far the company has yet to fill in some important details. Microsoft on Monday took the wraps of its self-branded Windows 8 tablet, a reveal that drew over-the-top hype ...

David Pogue: Surface, iPad rivalry could be good for tech world
CBS News
NY Times tech columnist discusses pros and cons of Microsoft's product, what it means for company to have entered tablet fray. 

MacBook Pro with Retina display review: Should you buy it over the standard Pro?
Washington Post
Though Apple quietly discontinued the 17-inch MacBook Pro last week, hardly a tear was shed. In fact, the company went out of its way to replace the ultra-premium tier with something even more covetous — namely, a 15-inch MacBook Pro with such a ...

Google Finds 9500 Malicious Sites Every Day
PC Magazine
By Chloe Albanesius Google today provided an update on its security efforts, revealing that it identifies almost 10000 new malicious websites every day and serves up millions of daily malware-related warnings to users. Google finds about 9500 new ...

Report: Facebook Prepping Location-Based Mobile Ads
PC Magazine
By Stephanie Mlot An ad for the shoe store a block away might soon makes it way into your mobile Facebook newsfeed. The world's largest social network is reportedly working on location-based mobile advertising. As reported by Bloomberg, ...

China's Tencent Buys Minority Stake in Epic Games
PC Magazine
By Angela Moscaritolo Chinese Internet giant Tencent on Tuesday announced it has acquired a minority stake in Gears of War and Unreal gaming engine maker, Epic Games. The deal is expected to close in about one month, though terms of the investment were ...

Netflix to users, developers: we own your viewing history
Ars Technica
by Sean Gallagher - Jun 19, 2012 1:22 pm UTC Netflix has announced that it will change both its public application programming interfaces (APIs) and the terms of service to access them, essentially locking away users' rental history data and preventing ...

Google blocks MP3 rippers from YouTube
Register
Websites that allow MP3 files to be recorded from YouTube are feeling the wrath of the Chocolate Factory, and popular ripping site YouTube-mp3 is calling foul. "Google is accusing us to threaten your safety and wanted us to close this service.

Sharp launches world's biggest HDTV -- 90 inches
msnbc.com
Sharp, the maker of LCD panels, copiers, microwaves and other consumer electronics products, just broke the consumer HDTV size and price barrier with the New York City debut of its 90-inch HDTV. This giant TV beats all of its competition, ...

'Doom' returns bigger, badder, Hellspawnier than ever
msnbc.com
Talk about a blast from the past. Just in time for Halloween, the ground-breaking "Doom" franchise is going to make a big, bad return to gaming. That is, Bethesda and id Software are taking us back to Mars -- back to the planet where the gateway to...

New findings could rewrite scientists' model of how universe hangs together
Christian Science Monitor
An experiment led at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory suggests that the Standard Model, which describes how subatomic particles interact, may have some flaws. By Clara Moskowitz, LiveScience / June 19, 2012 This illustration shows a an electron ...

Christian Science Monitor

Rise of the quad star -- Samsung Galaxy S III [review]
BetaNews
By Mihaita Bamburic Editor's Note: This is the first of two reviews we will run over the next day, as the first Galaxy S IIIs go on sale here in the United States. However, these reviews cover the international models, which offer faster processors but ...

BetaNews

Eucalyptus open sources software, cozies closer to Amazon Web Services
BetaNews
By Ed Oswald Hybrid cloud software provider Eucalyptus open sourced its software on Tuesday, moving the entire package to code-sharing site GitHub. Version 3.1 of the software includes performance enhancements and a feature called FastStart, ...

BetaNews

Remember when 'Microsoft Surface' was a bar table?
CNN
By Julianne Pepitone @CNNMoneyTech June 19, 2012: 1:40 PM ET The original Microsoft Surface, pictured here during demos at CES in 2008, was a 30-inch touchscreen tabletop. Now it's been rebranded as "PixelSense." NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Microsoft's ...

Fab celebrates its first birthday by buying a UK clone to rule Britannia
VentureBeat
What do you get for the site that sells everything? A UK expansion via acquisition, of course! Yes, design flash-sale phenom Fab.com is celebrating the end of its first full year in business, and part of that celebration is the purchase of Llustre.com, ...

VentureBeat

US sues to force tyrannosaurus' return to Mongolia
AFP
By Brigitte Dusseau (AFP) – 1 hour ago NEW YORK — The US government is suing to force an auction house to return the fossil of a dinosaur that roamed Mongolia 70 million years ago to the Asian country. The nearly complete tyrannosaurus bataar is ...

AFP

The Dry Ice 'Snowflakes' of Mars
Discovery News
Everyone seems to ponder the lyrics of Train's song "Drops of Jupiter," so perhaps it's about time a songwriter includes the "Snowflakes of Mars" in their next ballad. MIT scientists might even be able to add prose to the lyrics by describing their ...

Exclusive Apple, Liquidmetal Deal Extended
PC Magazine
By Chloe Albanesius Apple and Liquidmetal have signed a deal that extends the two firms' licensing agreement by another two years. The deal, first reported by AppleInsider and noted in recent SEC filings, means that Apple maintains the exclusive rights ...

Google Offers brings its daily deals to the iPhone
VentureBeat
Google has launched a new stand-alone iPhone app for its Offers daily deals service, the company announced today in a blog post. While Google Offers may not have caught on as big as Groupon or LivingSocial, the service continues to churn out tons of ...

VentureBeat

Video: The conflicts of Civilization V - Gods & Kings
TG Daily
The first expansion pack for Civilization V has gone live. Gods & Kings is now available for Windows and Mac gamers in North America, while the expansion pack is slated to launch internationally on June 22. "We can't wait for fans to get started on...

Top US Senator to Apple, Google: 'Curb your spy planes'
Register
One week after Apple announced it was booting Google Maps from iOS and photographing the world with its own aerial fleet, a top US Senator has written to both companies expressing concern over their "military-grade spy planes.

US reclaims top spot in supercomputer race
CNNMoney
By Erin Kim @CNNMoneyTech June 18, 2012: 3:34 PM ET Sequoia, a supercomputer at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, is now the world's most powerful machine. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- America is back on top in the race to claim ...

What happens when you report something on Facebook
msnbc.com
It's easy to click the "report" button on Facebook, but what exactly happens once you do? The social network's safety team has a handy-dandy breakdown. Hundreds of Facebook employees are in offices throughout the world to ensure that a team of ...

Tests show students struggle to explain answers
Salt Lake Tribune
By SARAH PARNASS By SARAH PARNASS AP American children do much better identifying the correct answers to simple scientific tasks than using evidence from their experiments to explain those answers. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, ...

Intel Buys InterDigital Patents to Shore Up Mobile Portfolio
PC Magazine
By Damon Poeter Intel is acquiring a big chunk of InterDigital's patent portfolio as part of the chip giant's effort to beef up its mobile technology portfolio, the two companies announced this week. InterDigital will sell about 1700 wireless ...

Details About 'Xbox 720' Leak, Console Coming In 2013?
BallerStatus.com
By Jay Casteel | Published 06/19/12 Microsoft failed to offer any details about its next-gen console system at this year's recent E3 conference, but this past week, unannounced details about the system leaked to the Internet.

BallerStatus.com

Facebook Acquires Facial-Recognition Site Face.com
eWeek
Facebook scoops up facial-recognition specialist Face.com, but raises privacy concerns in the meantime. That's a lot of face. Social networking giant Facebook officially acquired the Israeli facial-recognition company Face.com, ...

Mozilla shows experimental "Junior" browser for iOS
Ars Technica
by Ryan Paul - Jun 19, 2012 2:30 pm UTC In a video presentation published over the weekend, Mozilla demonstrated a prototype of its experimental browser for Apple's iOS platform. The prototype, called Junior, is still at an early stage of development.

Ars Technica

China Blasts into Space
China Digital Times
The successful launching of the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, powered by a Long March 2F rocket, was shown live on state television from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in western China. The crew is expected to spend up to 20 days in ...

Sonos Sub a welcome addition to wireless speaker system
tuaw.com
by Dave Caolo Jun 19th 2012 at 2:00PM Sonos has released the Sub, a smart subwoofer that works with the Sonos family of wireless speakers. The team took a unique approach to research and design and the results sound great. I got to spend about an hour ...

Facebook Buys Face.com: At What Privacy Cost?
InformationWeek
Face.com's facial recognition technology will give Facebook users quicker and ... "Now, lots of developers use Face.com technology to power various apps and ...

Interdigital sells tech wireless-technology patents, applications to Intel
Philadelphia Inquirer
Panning the patent gold rush, King of Prussia wireless-technology developer ... The sale does not exhaust the company's available technology in those areas, ...

Oracle, Microsoft power tech-sector gains
MarketWatch
By Rex Crum, MarketWatch. SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Reaction to Oracle Corp.'s better-than-expected earnings report and Microsoft Corp. unveiling ...

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